Chandhok Nikhil 4

What Happened

Nikhil Chandhok, Circle Internet Group's Chief Product & Tech Officer, exercised 20,000 options at $25.81 on Feb 26, 2026 (cost = $516,200) and sold 20,000 shares in an open-market transaction the same day for a weighted average price of $90.00 (gross proceeds ≈ $1,800,000). The Form 4 also records a 20,000-share derivative disposition at $0 associated with the conversion/settlement of the exercised derivative.

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-02-26.
• Exercise: 20,000 shares @ $25.81 (acquired) — $516,200 total.
• Open-market sale: 20,000 shares @ $90.00 (weighted avg; range $90.00–$90.04) — $1,800,000 proceeds. Sale executed pursuant to a 10b5-1 trading plan (Footnote F1).
• Reporting position after transaction: 210,755 Class A shares held outright and 214,540 Class A shares subject to outstanding restricted stock units (Footnote F3).
• Vesting info for option award: 1/4 vested after one year from vesting commencement, remainder in 36 monthly installments (Footnote F4).
• Filing date: 2026-03-02 — appears to be timely (Form 4 filed within the required two business days of the Feb 26 transaction).

Context

• The insider both exercised options and sold shares the same day, a common pattern when executives realize gains or cover exercise/tax costs (the filing shows the exercise and the contemporaneous sale).
• The sale was made under a pre-established 10b5-1 plan, which typically indicates pre-scheduled transactions rather than market-timing decisions.
• This is a routine insider sale rather than a purchase; purchases generally carry stronger bullish signals for retail investors.